Most 2nd Story students know Cathy Dirkx from her calming Sunday night restorative class and her fiery vinyasa practice. Cathy has been in the midwest since March and is bringing some much-needed grounding to 2nd Story with her Livestream yoga nidra workshop on Sunday, November 1 (more information about the workshop here). Elaine and Cathy recently caught up over email to discuss online teaching strategies and how to keep calm during stressful circumstances (hint: “keeping it together” is overrated!)
ELAINE: You've been in Des Moines since the start of the pandemic. What's the vibe there? Are places open for business? Is it dramatically different from times you've been there before? How do you spend your time?
CATHY: Des Moines is A LOT quieter than NYC, to say the least. I am staying in a studio apartment located downtown, and most people live in houses. So, it feels more like suburbia. Not many people live downtown. It's easy to social distance.
I am fortunate enough to have a beautiful sculpture park across from the apartment building (with a Keith Haring, Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra sculpture, among others) and a small lake where I can take walks with Shanti, my pup, and reconnect with nature and art. It's been super grounding being here through this pandemic. It gives me space to roam, think, and create.
I do miss NYC, though.
Businesses such as restaurants and bars are open with limited capacity (indoor + outdoors). Masks are required when entering businesses.
I haven't spent much time in Des Moines before the pandemic, but I know this past summer was different. Des Moines is known for big outdoor concerts, county fairs, and markets; it was all canceled this year.
I spend my time meditating, yoga-ing, walking, hiking, and biking. Des Moines has hundreds of miles of private bike trails sponsored by corporations.
ELAINE: Practicing online has been a big adjustment for teachers and students. How have you adapted to teaching online? Any tips for students (or other teachers!) about how to stay connected to your practice through online classes?
CATHY: Ah, I am still adjusting to teaching online!! Like everything else, it is a practice; every day is different!!
It is wonderful, though, to be able to connect with students from all over the world!
Tips for students: Keep your screen on if you can. I realize you are practicing in your private space, and inviting others in, can feel invasive; but it also helps you connect with the other students on screens. We are all in this together; it's the best way to give and receive energy and practice non-judgment towards ourselves. Oh, it's been a BIG one for me!! #nonselfjudgment
Tips for teachers: invest in a good mic and some lights if you can + step off the mat from time to time to instruct without demo-ing.
It will save your energy and help you connect directly to your students.
ELAINE: Interesting that you mention stepping away from the mat when you teach. I JUST started watching students as they move instead of practicing in front of the camera, the entire class. For me, at the beginning of the pandemic, it was liberating to show every move. It was like I could just present students the practice I had in mind, and they could choose to apply what worked for them. It’s different 7 months later! I have more of a longing to see my students engage in their practice, even if I can only see half their body.
Same with my students and their cameras. I used to encourage people to have their camera off if they didn’t want to be visible, but now I ask them to turn it on at least in the beginning of class so I can connect with them for a moment, at least. I miss them!
I also enjoy watching students creatively use their furniture and other items when they’re in class. As a restorative teacher, do you have any methods of converting household items into yoga props?
CATHY: That question made me smile, yes I've had to be creative myself, especially at the beginning of the pandemic when I traveled to Des Moines and the only props I had were a couple of blocks and a mat!
I've used big books (art books, cookbooks, thick dictionaries if you still have some around) instead of blocks to prop up a bolster
Paper towel rolls can also be used under knees in supta baddha konasana
instead of a strap, use belts, pet leashes, scarfs...
couch cushions make a GREAT bolster or you can also use firm throw pillows.
blankets and bathroom towels are great props to add support in some poses or to cover yourself up
bed pillows under your head especially in savasana
you can even use your pet (small dog or kitty) as a sandbag :)
ELAINE: How has your personal practice changed during the lockdown?
CATHY: My lower back has been super tense and painful since March/April, so I've had to take a step back from my physical practice. I've been a lot gentler with myself, deepened my meditation practice. I haven't inverted much since March except on my Feet Up prop. I do miss my handstands!!
ELAINE: The pandemic has obviously been loaded with challenges for everyone, but have any pleasant surprises developed for you during this time?
CATHY: Slowing down is the best thing that happened to me. Instead of a human DOING, I became a human BEING.
It took a few months actually, although I couldn't go anywhere because of the quarantine, it didn't stop me from "doing"; I was adjusting to teaching online, creating the best space in my apartment to teach, preparing to lead an online Yoga Nidra teacher training, mentoring 4 amazing students through their 200hr TT, working nonstop to keep my mind busy and doing my best to serve my yoga community. And I hit a wall. I realized I needed to regroup. So I did, and I meditated on what would serve all the people I wanted to help best and me.
I took some trainings and workshops in yoga & social equity, anti-racism, and coaching to refine my mentoring skills.
What I discovered is that I wanted to create my own mentoring/coaching program to help women, in particular, shine their light brighter.
Have you ever felt like there is something more to the life you are living, a pull towards your heart desires?
Do you stop yourself from exploring your desires? I want to help these women explore their calling, discover what fires them up, what brings their light out so they can shine it on a world that really needs it right now.
It took me slowing down to discover that there was a life coach inside of me!
ELAINE: I love that you appreciate slowing down! I’m also learning the value of doing less. At the same time, so many people are dealing with more pressure at home and with their conditions at work. Stress is a constant these days, and Kay and I have been emphasizing sanity as a point of focus at 2nd Story this month. Any practices or strategies that keep you from losing it?
CATHY: Losing it is not always a bad thing, haha. We need to let the emotion go through us. It's okay to be angry, sad, fearful, and... we have to remember that there are no bad emotions, it's just emotion! The key is to not stay in that state.
I rely on my meditation & yoga practice a lot when everything spins out of control. Sitting on the ground, one hand on my chest, the other on the earth, and breathing deeply always help me. And doing that by a body of water is the ultimate reset; I prefer the ocean, but a river or a lake is just as powerful, just sitting there and listening to the water makes me feel better, no matter what.
ELAINE: Tell us about yoga nidra? How did you get interested in it, and what inspires you to continue practicing it?
CATHY: I discovered Yoga Nidra the same year I did my 200hr Teacher Training (2009) - I participated in a workshop led by Rod Stryker and felt so good, so opened; everything around me seemed brighter, colors were more vivid. Simply, I felt more connected to myself and the world around me afterward.
It helped with my stress & anxiety. I felt super anxious about teaching yoga in front of a class during training; sometimes, I couldn't even speak. It made me more confident.
I never thought that I would ever be instructing Nidra, let alone leading Nidra teacher training! it was just a guided meditation I did for me, so I could be a better yoga teacher and better & healthier human overall.
After 5 years of practicing it on my own, it then occurred to me that if it was so beneficial for me, it could be for my students as well.
So, I decided to get certified and offer it to help students with their own anxiety, stress, insomnia, chronic pains... I've led workshops and TT ever since.
Students inspire me to keep practicing and offering it. There is nothing more satisfying to me than seeing the faces of the students after receiving that practice. I can see the stress melting, and faces are relaxed, their gaze is sharp, the shift they experience shows all over their body. And that keeps me going and wanting to share more.
